 
DANNY GRANGERScored 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting, 4-of-8 from the 3-point line and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, adding five assists and four rebounds in 41 minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 
The season's longest road trip continues Wednesday in Phoenix against Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns (9 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, 1070 The Fan).
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Jan. 5, 2009 at Denver
Nuggets 135, Pacers 115
 |
“They’re a very good basketball team, we could not handle their inside game or their transition. We came back and we ran out of gas in the fourth quarter."
"You have to play a tougher brand of defensive basketball than we did. We did not do anything to prevent them from shooting fifty-nine percent and putting that many points on the board. It’s a matter of digging in and getting the job done and we clearly didn’t do that.”
 |
“We need to work on a lot of things. Denver is a good team and we need to do a bunch of things differently to improve. We didn’t hit any shots at the end of the game and they just kept hitting theirs."
"Our offensive production has to be constant; we can’t go on these big droughts that we’ve been having. We need to start by shooting more consistently.”
|
“I think [Roy Hibbert is] doing very well. He can do anything with the left hand or the right hand, and you don’t see many big men that can do that. Once he learns how to play without fouling, he’ll be alright and he’ll be even more effective. He takes a lot of pressure off of me and the other guys on the post. We have a 7-2 guy that can get you a good shot and that’s what you need to dominate low-post presence.”
 |
“Our first half was interesting, the second half was good. I think you win this game with J.R. (Smith) battling and causing four or five turnovers in the second half."
"I told our team that this team is unique; they play a little bit like we played last year, quick shots and nobody in the paint."
" We never lost our concentration and commitment, thought we might wear them out a little. Indiana actually caused us to have a more fundamentally-sound game because of them getting back in the game. I think Granger is an incredibly-improving young player."
"I am a little concerned about the injury to Carmelo’s hand, there’s a possibility of a fracture but it will be evaluated tomorrow.”
 |
(What was the difference between the first and second quarters?) “We got off to an aggressive start offensively and defensively, and we just had it going too easy for the second night in a row. We came back and started letting them have their way cause we were scoring so easily, and what happened was, it just bit us. We have to do a better job when we have guys down, we have to play the same way and keep them down."
(When the substitutions started, things seemed to change?) “You can’t pinpoint anybody, it’s all of us. You see one guy doing the wrong things and we have to hold them accountable. It’s not on one player, group, or unit, it’s on all of us. We have to do a better job of that.”
 |
(How concerned are you about the finger injury?) “Right now it has to be concerning cause you don’t really know what’s going on until tomorrow. I’m going to go see a hand specialist tomorrow, probably before practice or after practice and see what happens."
(Do you remember the exact play?) “I was in the paint, went up, and Foster slapped down."
(How bad is it?) "There (on the play), I didn’t have any feeling whatsoever; out there it was just numb. As you could tell I shot that free-throw air-ball, it was just numb out there. So I just wanted to get through that game and try to get some x-rays and see what happens tomorrow."
(How much would it hurt to be out awhile?) "Of course it would hurt to sit out any games. I’ve got confidence in my guys if it comes down to that. The good thing is we are home, we have our crowd, we’re feeling really good right now, we’re playing good basketball."
(Dwyane Wade coming to town) “I was looking forward to that game, it’s our next game on the schedule, so we’ll get to see him come in. After that tough game tonight at home they lost, I’m pretty sure they’re going to try to come out here and get some wins (on their western road trip).
 |
“We seemed to make easy games harder than it needs to be but I’ll take the win. We’re not playing defense particularly well throughout the game but in the fourth quarter we picked it up when it counted."
(When you get up big, is it harder to play defense?) “Shouldn’t be that way, sometimes it is that way but it shouldn’t be that way, but guys did an excellent job focusing in when we needed to in the fourth quarter. I think they had their worst shooting quarter so that’s a great thing for us."
(You and Birdman had pick up the slack with Nene in foul trouble tonight?) "That’s what it’s all about. Some guys are not playing, some guys are in foul trouble whatever the case may be other guys have to step up and do their job, that’s what guys get paid to do. Me, Bird (Chris Andersen), LK (Linas Kleiza), everybody did an excellent job tonight.”
